Maidana fight wasn't Floyd's best, admits father

ABS-CBN News

Even the father of American superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. had to admit that the pound-for-pound king didn't perform his best in his competitive welterweight bout against Argentina's Marcos Maidana last weekend.

Mayweather still walked away with a majority decision – extending his winning streak to 46 fights – but Maidana made it difficult for him with his relentless pressure and activity.

"It still was a good performance, probably wasn't one of his best," Floyd Mayweather Sr. told Bad Left Hook after the fight. "But it was a good performance."

Floyd Sr., who trained his son for the fight, said the bout only showed that Mayweather was capable of winning even when forced out of his comfort zone.

"Floyd showed that he can fight the guy's fight, if the guy don't think he can. Because Floyd fought Maidana's fight," he said. "Floyd didn’t fight his fight."

Mayweather stressed that his father came up with a "brilliant game plan" and gave him "great advice" throughout the fight, but he deliberately diverted from that in order to provide fans an exciting fight.

"Sometimes, we can be hard-headed and do what we want to do," the younger Mayweather said in the post-fight press conference. "My dad gave me a brilliant game plan. My dad is a remarkable trainer, so I can never take the away from him."

"Sometimes, things that your trainer may see on the outside, it may not work on the inside. But the information my dad was giving me was right," he added.

Floyd Sr. also told Bad Left Hook that he was unsure of his son's future, especially after a difficult fight, but he will welcome a rematch against Maidana.

"After seeing the fight, Floyd showed that he was a strong individual, but I don’t like him getting hit," said Floyd Sr., who has preached the importance of defense to his son at a young age.

He added that it is "very important" for a rematch to happen, especially as both Mayweather and Maidana seem to want it.

"If Floyd wants a rematch, or if (Maidana) wants a rematch, I think they should do it," he said.